Coronavirus: Liverpool's Zanzibar Club closes amid 'climate of uncertainty'
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The 300-capacity venue opened in 1990 and has hosted hundreds of shows
A popular music venue is to close due to the "climate of uncertainty" caused by Covid-19, its owners have said.
The Zanzibar Club in Liverpool, which opened in 1990, has hosted a wide variety of famous names including The Zutons, Noel Gallagher and The Coral.
Director Sam Burgess said the probability of remaining closed for a year had led to the "heartbreaking" decision to permanently close.
In a tweet, The Zutons' Dave McCabe said he was "proper gutted", external.
The 300-capacity venue on Seel Street was founded by music lover Tony Butler in 1990 and described itself as "a pivotal venue for developing artists at grassroots level in the North West".
The venue hosted live shows and regular club nights
The impresario, who died in 2018, used it to support up-and-coming bands and its stage provided an early platform for the likes of Courtney Barnett, Miles Kane and Arctic Monkeys.
Mr Burgess said the venue had been "a true survivor over the past 30 years", but Covid-19 had been "a massive kick in the teeth for everyone".
'Second home for us'
He said the music industry had had "the roughest ride of all" as "business restrictions and lack of proper guidance" meant music venues would be "among the last ones to reopen".
"With the current climate of uncertainty and the probability of remaining closed for a year, we have had to make the heartbreaking decision to permanently close our venue," he said.
"With very limited time left on our lease and too many years of wear and tear on our building structure, this puts us in a financially unattainable position to reopen."
He gave thanks to the staff and performers who had helped the venue thrive, adding: "To all gig goers, friends that have turned into family - you all have made Zanzibar feel like a second home for us."
Reacting to the news, new music festival Liverpool Sound City tweeted that the venue had been "a massive part in the journey of almost every single musician in the city and beyond too".
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Musicians from the city and from further afield also responded to the news on social media.
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